Labour export market set to thrive during final quarter

The Department of Overseas Labour Management says that along with boosting labour exports to traditional markets, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) will continue to select candidates to work as guest labourers in Japan as well as to new markets such as Australia.

Vietnam sent a total of 16,080 workers abroad during September, bringing the total number of Vietnamese guest workers overseas during the first nine months of 2018 to 102,127, reaching 92.64% of this year’s target.

Taiwan (China) was the largest market for Vietnamese guest workers during the first nine months of 2018 with 47,721 workers recruited, a year-on-year rise of 1.23%. In addition to this figure, Nguyen Gia Liem, deputy director of the Department of Overseas Labour, added that the Taiwanese market made up 46.73% of the total number of Vietnamese guest workers during this period. It employs an average of 5,300 workers each month.

Japan was the second largest market, employing a total of 43,987 Vietnamese workers, up 21.31% against the same period last year. It trailed by the Republic of Korea recruiting 4,900 Vietnamese guest workers, Malaysia 824, and Macao 187.

Markets in the Middle East declined by 27.11% to 2,218 Vietnamese workers. Despite this drop, other markets have emerged such as the Republic of Cyprus, Poland and Russia which have all hired Vietnamese guest workers with a small number.

VAMAS reported a high concentration of Vietnamese workers in specific countries with only five out of a total of 26 markets employing more than 1,000 Vietnamese workers.

Owing to a growing demand for Vietnamese workers in Eastern European countries such as Romania and Slovakia, VAMAS has forecast that the final months of 2018 will see a surge in Vietnamese guest workers going to Eastern Europe.

At a recent meeting Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Dao Ngoc Dung outlined the ministries ambitions to identify markets within Northern and Eastern Europe to send hi-tech workers to. With such a high number of low skilled workers already abroad, there is a project underway to diversify Vietnam’s international workforce and to train 1,000 high quality workers in order to match the demand in the German labour market. On completing their 3 year job in Germany, they will return to serve their home country domestically.

In addition to diversifying the workforce, Vietnam will also sign a cooperation program with Bulgaria and Romania to train highly qualified technicians in late November. This has the added benefit of workers being able to gain experience and high quality training abroad before returning to their homeland to serve the national development.

2017 saw a total of 134,000 guest workers sent overseas, surpassing the target by 24%. For the fourth consecutive year the MoLISA has set a target of 110,000 guest workers to be sent abroad.